Define spirituality using the peer-reviewed article an emerging paradigm for the investigation of spirituality in nursing by pamela g. reed

Spirituality Pamela Reed distills spirituality into the capa a person has for health “ through transcendence of ordinary boundaries.” (Reed 1992: 351). This appeared to be true in the case of an old homeless woman at the clinic. She was questioned about whether she considered herself to be a spiritual person because she wanted to pray with others at the nursing home. Spirituality itself has been defined by Reed as one person’s interactions with others and the environment, providing energy and courage to make changes in one’s life. (Reed 1992: 350). The woman responded that she sought a feeling of connectedness to other people. In this feeling of connectedness, she was able to transcend the mundane dimensions of her ordinary life and transcend into a higher dimension, thereby elevating herself as an individual.
Spirituality has been defined by some experts as engaging in four patterns of connectedness, intrapersonally – within oneself, or interpersonally – with others or interaction with the environment and lastly, transpersonally, or by relating with an unseen power – God (Brewer 1979). In her response to Brewer’s views, the woman was able to confirm that she had also come to the clinic seeking such a network of connectedness. She was able to interactbetter within herself, with the nurses at the clinic, with the environment of the care facility and also connect with God by praying with the nurses.
The result of this feeling of connectedness the woman felt to other people and to God was that she felt healthier and experienced a feeling of well being and peace. The feeling of connectedness made her feel less alone, and therefore and whole. This is also the view expressed by Hungleman, who directly related the state of a person’s human spirit to their state of health (Hungleman et al 1985). Therefore, one aspect of spirituality as revealed in the woman’s view and corroborated by Hungleman’s views is the interconnection between spirituality and health and how one impacts positively upon the other.
Newman (1989) has emphasized the importance of nurses praying with the patients (Shelley and Fish 1988) and allowing them to express their spirituality as a means to promote their health and well being, reiterating the views of Hungleman that there is a positive relation between the human spirit and a person’s health.. This woman, when questioned on this aspect, also responded that she felt soothed and happy by praying with the nurses, because she was able to ascend into a higher dimension through the feeling of connectedness she experienced with her spiritual self.
On the basis of this interview with one sick woman at the clinic, I conclude that spirituality may best be defined as the understanding of the link between the human spirit and health. Therefore, true spirituality may be defined as a person’s interactions on four dimensions with the end result being the ability to transcend into a higher spiritual plane. These four dimensions are the interpersonal, intrapersonal, transpersonal and the interaction with the environment. Through the development of this network of connectedness, a sick person is able to transcend an ordinary life and gain energy and vitality to move into a higher spiritual plane which also produces a corresponding degree of improvement in the person’s health.
References
* Brewer, E. D. C., 1979. “ Life stages and well being” IN D. O. Moberg (eds)
“ Spiritual well being: sociological perspectives.” Washington DC: University
Press at pp 99-111.
* Hungleman, J, Kenkel-Rossi, E, Klassen, L and Stollenwerk, R. M., 1985. “ Spiritual
well being in older adults. Harmonious inter connectedness.” Journal of religion
and health, 24: 147-154
* Newman, M, 1989. “ The spirit of nursing.” Holistic Nursing Practice, 3(3): 1-6
* Reed, Pamela, G, 1992. “ An emerging paradigm for the investigation of spirituality
in Nursing.” Research in Nursing and health, 15: 349-357.
* Shelley, J. A and Fish, S, 1988.” Spiritual core: The nurse’s role” (3rd edn) Downer
Grove: Intravarsity press.